Secrets over Coffee
by AutumnnPrincess
Summary: Five days, five hours, five visits to the same restaurant; after being assigned with an important task, Randall is forced to spend every lunch break for a week with the monster he dislikes more than anyone. AU, pre-MI.


**Hey!**

**Yesterday was somewhat a special day for me, since it was one year since I first watched MU; an event that resulted in me creating my accounts on here and on tumblr, plus some really nice new friends!**

**To celebrate, I`ve chosen to write a new fanfic (about time really, it`s been a while since I last published something new here), and I plan to publish one chapter on each of five special days coming up within the next month`s time (if I reach it, let`s see about that, haaa).**

**This is an AU pre-MI story, with much less shipping than I originally intended.**

**Also, just so we`re clear; I don`t own Monsters Inc. or any of the characters in this story.**

**I hope you`ll like it!**

* * *

**Secrets over Coffee**

**Monday**

* * *

The lunch break wasn`t usually his favourite part of the day.

He didn`t really see why he needed to take a break in the first place, after all he was at work to, well, _work_, and he _certainly_ didn`t understand why the break had to be so fricking long; seriously, the more time spent by a table while discussing upcoming weekend plans with monsters he had nothing more in common with than that they happened to work under the same roof, the worse.

Not that he would ever do that, of course; Randall Boggs would usually bring a homemade lunch in order to avoid the whole cafeteria area, and if he forgot he`d just use the vending machines near the scare floor instead. The meal (if he even bothered to have one, there were days when he`d just use the break to practice new scaring techniques instead, and maybe get some coffe), he`d normally eat in the locker room or, if the weather allowed it, on a bench outside.

Of course Monsters, Incorporated was located in the middle of a large city, which didn`t exactly result in the cleanest air imaginable, but there sure were some nice places around the backside of the main building, which Randall seemed to be the only employee to know about; at least he always had those places to himself when he decided to spend his break there. Sometimes he`d even catch a glimpse of his young nephew in the company`s dayscare that was located nearby, and that was also nice. As long as he didn`t have to talk to the kid; Randall didn`t have the time for that while he was at work, and he didn`t always feel comfortable around children either. Like, what was there to talk about?

* * *

"What is there to talk about _now_..?" He thought to himself as he ran his eyes across the menu, squinting, cursing quietly to himself for leaving his glasses at home again. Not that he would have worn them in this company anyway, but it was still annoying not being able to see.

He was in a little restaurant, which could have been nice enough if it hadn`t been for the monster he was with; Randall struggled to imagine a more terrible way of spending the long lunch break, which was already a dislike of his, than by a table with the guy he hated more than anyone.

"How is it even possible to use an hour to eat a simple meal?"

He didn`t mean to say the words out loud. They just somehow slipped out of him, and made him feel as annoyed with himself as ever before, as he didn`t want to be the one starting a conversation with the other monster.

"What do you mean?" A big pair of questioning blue eyes glanced over at him from behind a menu on the other side of the little table, and Randall knew he`d never get peace now;

"Why is the lunch break so fricking long?"

"I...don`t know? Is it?"

"It`s a full hour!"

Randall was actually quite fond of tasty food and fancy dinners, and enjoyed cooking for himself in his apartment, but he couldn`t see how anyone could possibly need sixty minutes to finish a sandwich and some juice at work. It all could have been poured down in less than ten minutes;

"The company wastes, what, fifty minutes each day? How many hours is that in a year? How many screams could we have gathered in those hours? How many devices could have been powered with those screams?"

"I`ve never thought of it like that before..." The other part admitted while putting his menu down;

"But I guess taking a decent break is healthy? I mean, I think it`s important to relax in-between all the scares and everything - and the long break is probably good for the social environment at work too -" he coughed, suddenly remembering that Randall wasn`t really a part of that environment. At least he had never seen him in the cafeteria where he`d normally eat his own lunch among the other workers.

"What looks good to you?" He changed the subject by pointing out different courses in the menu, hoping it would cheer the purple one up a little;

"I think I`m up for a sandwich or something, how about you?"

"I`m not having anything."

"What? Aren`t you hungry?"

"No."

"Do you wanna go someplace else?"

"No."

"Ummm..." The larger monster looked slightly uncomfortable;

"Well, I`m getting a sandwich - with some fries, maybe..." He added, after realizing that Mike wasn`t there to watch him;

"Want me to order something for you, Randall?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

The lizard monster didn`t bother to answer the question, and after doubting what to do next for a few seconds, the top scarer got up from his seat and walked over to the counter to place his order.

* * *

It had all started that same morning, when James P. Sullivan and Randall Boggs, the top two scarers, the two most famous employees in the company, had both been called into the boss` office before their usual shift started, as Mr. Waternoose had assigned them both with an important task; a visitor from the Governmental Scaring Department was expected to Monstropolis the following Monday, and naturally she would pay the country`s biggest scaring company a visit while she was there.

The program for her day there would include a guided tour around the factory and a nice lunch, which was the usual routine when guests were coming over, and also a lecture on how things were in the industry. Waternoose had suggested that he could give it himself, but apparently the visitor wanted to hear from some of the employees too - and since MI's CEO wanted to impress her as much as possible, he`d decided to ask the two best workers to give a lecture of their own.

A lecture they`d have to prepare _together. _

And when Randall had claimed that he was busy e_very _single night that week, and hence completely unable to meet up with Sullivan to talk things through and create the lecture, the top scarer had suggested that maybe they could use the upcoming week`s lunch breaks to plan everything instead, a suggestion their boss had been very pleased with; he had even offered to pay for their food if they wanted to go someplace quiet to talk things over.

* * *

And here they were.

"There you go!"

A hot cup of coffee was placed on the table right in front of him, causing Randall to look up at Sullivan in disbelief;

"I told ya I wasn`t having anything!"

"I`d feel too bad eating while you just sit there... And you like coffee, right? I`ve seen you drinking lots of it!"

"Not _this _type..." The lizard rolled his eyes dramatically and let out a heavy sigh at Sullivan`s imcompetence as the furry one sat himself down on his chair, placing his food on the table. He`d gone for some sort of burger, and Randall wasn`t surprised at all; obviously that body mass had to come from s_omewhere_.

"We should say something about what a typical day at work is like, perhaps?" Sulley wrote a couple of words down on the notepad he`d brought along, while at the same time maneuvering parts of his food into his mouth with his free hand;

"Or what do you say, Randall? For the lecture?"

"This coffee is too weak..."

"You don`t have to drink it - but what do you think about the -"

"...it also has some sort of disgusting fruity touch to it, what even _is _this? What did you buy me, Sullivan?"

"It`s not fruit, it was supposed to be chocolate - but never mind that, I told you you don`t have to drink it if you don`t want it! I didn`t even pay for it, Waternoose will -" The blue monster put his pen down;

"I think we really need to get going here Randall, we only have five hours! And if you want me to, I can go get you something else to drink?"

"No."

"Well then, put it aside and help me out here, maybe?" A small smile was sent in the other`s direction;

"Do you agree that we should say something about what a typical day is like for a scarer or what?"

"Ew..." Randall gulped down another swallow of his coffee, receiving a little more impatience from the other monster;

"_Randall_..?"

"Fine...yeah...let`s talk about that..." The lizard`s upper left hand was investigating the little candle on the table;

"Whatever."

* * *

As the furry monster ate his lunch, and the scaly one slowly forced icky fruity-chocolate-ish coffee down his throat, the first two pages of the notepad was slowly filled with thoughts and ideas (mostly Sulley`s) for their lecture - and before they knew it, there was only ten minutes left of their break. Even Randall had to admit that time had passed by rather quickly, though only to himself;

"Same place tomorrow, then?" He didn`t really want to ask, but wanted to sort things out as quick as possible.

"You wanna go back here? I thought you hated their coffee?"

"I did. But I hate wasting time looking for another place _more._"

"Fine, then. Meet you by your station after the first shift tomorrow?"

"Meet me here."

There was no way Randall wanted to be seen with Sullivan more than he had to, especially in public, and he intended to avoid it best as he could;

"Same table."

"Okay!" Sulley sent him a smile;

"Whoever gets here first holds the table - deal?"

Randall didn`t return the smile, but granted the other monster with a nod of his head to show that he agreed with him. Then he turned his back and started walking in his usual quick pace towards the exit, through it and then back towards the factory, causing Sullivan to hurry up behind him;

"Hey..! Hey Randall, wait up! We`re heading in the same direction, aren`t we?"

The purple one didn`t answer, and he certainly didn`t slow down. There was no way on earth he was walking back to work with this hairy cretin - walking back and forth to the restaurant with him every day this week would mean like a total of fifteen extra minutes in his company, and Randall couldn`t even bare the thought of that.

A brief glance over his shoulder told the reptile that the furry one was unable to keep up with him, and that helped calm him down a little; though the thought of spending four other hours like the previos one with him this week was still quite upsetting.

Just as upsetting was the fact that the crap coffee Sullivan had bought him hadn`t really been that bad. On the contrary actually, it had been rather tasty. And Randall didn`t really know why, but he _did _know that for some reason, he couldn`t tell Sullivan that; it would most likely make the guy even more stuck up than he already was, and that couldn`t be good, Randall thought to himself as he stomped back through the main entrance at work and headed back for the scare floor and his new shift.

No, Sullivan couldn`t find out.

It was Randall`s secret, no matter how stupid, and admitting it to himself was hard enough.

* * *

**That`s it for now, I hope you enjoyed the first chapter!**

**The next one will be posted on (or around maybe) August 15.**


End file.
